The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-08-11
The Fiftieth Congress.
From New York Times !


The Fiftieth Congress.
from New York Times
here are AL new members and Sena-
tors. OF those, forty-nine are LAWYERS,
| thirty eight have served in the Legisa-
lures of their States and thirty-two are
college graduates high average of abil-
lty, and one that bespeaks from the old
members of Congress very polite consider
alton. The average age of the new mem
bers IS about AS. James Phelan of Mem
phls will be the youngest man of the
Flftieth Congress. He was born Dee
1856, and will lack two days of being ,
years old the day he takes his seat His
father was Senator in the Confederate
Congress from Mississippi and Young
Phelan enters public life With only boys
very faint recollections of the war period.
The oldest member is General Nandever
of California. He was born March 81,
1917, and will be well on in his seventy
first year when he takes his seat. Judge
Miles Toby Granger of Connecticut will
also be 20 years old when he takes his
seat, but he is five months younger than
General Nandever. Judge Granger and
Governor Davis of Minnesota are the only
Ii. DIS.
Among the new men of Congress proba-
bly, the most completely educated member
is the youngest, Mr.. Phelan. After grad
uating from the Kentucky Military Insti-
tute he went to the University of Leipsic,
Germany. There, he says, after Michael
mas, 1875, he received private instruction
in Latin from Richard Sachuse, head
teacher in the university. After deliver
ing dissertation on Philip Massinger and
| his plays, Mr.. Phelan received the degree
of doctor of philosophy, and returned to
Memphis where he began to practise law
| in 1881. Young Phelan beat Zachary
Taylor in the race for Congress- Perhaps
the member with the least schooling is
| Congressman Finley of Kentucky, who
says in his sketch that he began life with
out education sufficient to transact bust
ness, and penniless Still be seems to have
| done pretty well in life, being a good law
| yer, and having served several terms in
the Legislature and sat on the bench sew
| eral years. There are nine ex-C -ConfederateS
| among the new members and thirteen
| Union soldiers. The Confederates are not
| brigadiers by any means, the highest rank
| attained by any of them belonging to SEN
ator Daniel of Virginia, who was adjutant-
| general of Jubal Early's division Most
of the ex-Confederate members were lieu
| tenants or captains. The highest rank
| obtained by any of the Union soldiers was
| by General Nandever. Going into the war
| as a colonel, he was made brigadier in
| S62 and a ma jor- general in 1865. Posi-
| bly, the mildest war record was Senator
| Chambers. He was Judge advocate of tho
navy during the war. Congressman Booth
man of Ohio lost his left leg in the service.
| He seems to be the only MANNED man
among the new members, with the excep-
| tion of CongressmanuJoh Lind of Mime
| sofa, who lost his right arm in a threshing
machine. An interesting fact appears in
! the nativity of the new members. Most
| of them were born in the States they rep
| resent. Conger, Mcdonald of Minnesota
| Kerr of Iowa and White were born in Scot
land. Congressman Hengen of Wisconsin
was born in Norway, Congressman Lind
| of Minnesota was born in Sweden, Mr.
Lagen of Louisiana and Judge Wilson OF
| Minnesota were born in Ireland. Fifty
| four new members were born in he States
| they come from.
| A License Case of Il Novel Character.
| From Wilson Advance.l
| Quite an interesting case was heard be-
| fore Judge H. G. Connor, at chambers,
| last week. The action was for mandamas
| to require the Commissioners to take ac-
| ton in regard to granting license TO retail
| liquor in Scuffleton, Greene county The
| Legislature passed a law prohibiting the
granting of liquor licenses in Greene coun-
ty except in Incorporated towns. Scuffie-
ton had been Incorporated, but the officers
| appointed in the act incorporating the
town had never qualified, nor had any
other officers done SO. The Commissioners
held that for all practical purposes the
town was not incorporated and that they
therefore had no power to consider the
question of granting license. The action
was brought therefore, for mandamus
compelling them to consider each applica-
ton upon its individual merits. The
County Commissioners were represented
by Theo. Edwards and the plaintiffs by Ii.
F. Murray, T. G. Wooten and J. W Blount
Judge Connor decided that Scuffleton was
an Incorporated town, in the eyes of the
law, regardless of the fact that the officers
appointed had not qualified, and he there
fore ordered the County Commissioners to
so consider the town and to decide upon
each application for license upon it's indi-
yidual merits.
Cant you possibly stop that runawayr'
yelled a stranger in Detroit, excitedly, as
cab came tearing down the street al
break neck speed, driver and passenger